Trade Marks: Will Eisner's the Spirit Vol. 2

I'm very surprised to be writing the following words: I did not think much of this book. After a terrific launch to this new series, I feel that this second collection represents a significant drop in quality. I think it may be a matter of too many cooks spoiling the brother, as there a lot of guest creators at work here on the various 'Specials'. The Kyle Baker written and drawn Hard Cell just didn't work for me, as I found both the visuals and the narrative far too opaque. I have nothing good to say about Gail Simone's Cold Deaths of the Icicle Heart, especially since it was a waste of the talents of the Hester/Parks team. For the most part, the stories by the team of Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone are strong. I liked the El Morte two-parter quite a bit, but the Death by Television story was a ham-fisted attempt at satire. Overall, it's a pretty hit and miss affair and a big step down from Volume One. I read quite a few of the Aragones/Evanier issues in floppy format so I already know the next volume will be an improvement. Overall Grade: B-